Seven habits of effective recyclers

Recycling. A word that fills you with delight or dread. Perhaps you’ve tried recycling but couldn’t find anywhere to drop your items off. Maybe you’re hooked and love to see how little waste from your home or office goes to landfill. Or maybe you’re trying but you feel you’re missing the mark somewhere.

By thinking about what we throw away, what is re-usable and what is recyclable, you can help South Africa reduce the impact on landfills, support local manufacturers and lend a hand to the livelihoods of waste collectors.

Here are seven habits to help you get into good garbage habits:

Know why paper recycling is important. It reduces the amount of re-usable paper-based material going to landfill, and allows paper mills to use it to make new products that we use every day. It also creates employment – from the people who walk the streets with their trolleys to big companies employing thousands of people.

Pick one recyclable. Start your new recycling habit with one type of waste stream – paper is sometimes the easiest as there are multiple collection or drop-off methods. Once you get the hang of it, start recycling plastic, glass or tin.

Make space for recycling. Put a paper-only bin or box in an accessible place, preferably near your current rubbish bin. (Space permitting, you may want to have smaller paper-only bins around the house – bathroom (for cosmetic boxes and toilet roll cores), the garage etc.